8th Grade Reading Comprehension (2 passages, free)

The city archive smelled of dust and old paper. Nadia had volunteered there all summer, sorting donated letters, but nothing interesting had ever turned up until the box labeled “Misc., 1923.”

Inside was a bundle of letters tied with blue ribbon. Each was addressed to the same person, Miss Eleanor Hart, and each was signed only with the initials “J.B.” The letters described a bridge, its stones, its height, even the color of the river beneath it.

Nadia compared the descriptions with old photographs in the archive. They matched the Ashford Bridge, which had been rebuilt in 1924. But one detail did not fit: J.B. described a carved owl on the third pillar, and no photograph showed one.

The next morning, Nadia walked to the bridge with a flashlight. Beneath the moss on the third pillar, worn but unmistakable, was a small stone owl. Someone had wanted Eleanor, and perhaps the future, to know exactly who had built it.

Most health experts recommend that teenagers get between eight and ten hours of sleep a night, yet many get far less. Homework, sports, jobs and screens all compete for those hours.

Sleep is not simply rest. During deep sleep, the brain sorts and stores the day’s memories, which is one reason a good night’s sleep can improve test performance. Sleep also supports the immune system and helps regulate mood.

Teenagers face an extra challenge: during adolescence, the body’s internal clock shifts later, so many teens do not feel sleepy until 11 p.m. or later. Early school start times can therefore leave them chronically short of sleep.

Small habits help: keeping a regular bedtime, putting phones away an hour before sleep, and getting sunlight in the morning to reset the body’s clock.